Turbo-blower.



A. L. WoLFsoN TURBO BLOWER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908.

Patent-,d Jan. 19, 1909.

ALBERT L. woLrsoN,oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TURBO-BLOWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed February 21, 1908. Serial No. 417,064.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. WoLrsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbo-Blowers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an im roved turbo-blower in which a steam -tur ine is connected with a blower or Ventilating fan.

The object of this invention is to furnish a blower or ventilator driven by a steamturbine for moving air, gases, and other fluids, either to or from a particular locality and permit the air or other fluid that is set in motion to be heated by the exhaust-steam to a higher temperature so asl to be used as a forced draft for the furnaces of steamboilers and other applications; "and for this purpose the invention consists of a blower or ventilator the rotatable blades of which are applied to a hub which forms the shell or casing for a steam-turbine the vanes of Which are arranged in said hub and rotated by steam admitted through one or more stationary nozzles and exhausted through ports a-t the inner end of the hub.

The invention consists further of a coil located in the casing of the blower and connected with the exhaust-end of the steamturbine inthe hub by means of a hood so as to permit the heating of the air or other fluid forced by the blower through the casing when the heating of the air to a higher temperature is required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel represents a vertical longitudinal section of my improved turbo-blower, Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse seetion on line 2, 2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic section of the steam-turbine in the hub of the blower s howing the method of supply and exhaust of the steam to and from the vanes of the turbine.`

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the easing of my improved lblower or ventilator" 'a1 an adjustable ring at the ingoing end ofthe casing, and a number of fan blades that are set'at a suitable angle to the longitudinal axis of the casing` and secured' to the'jouter wall of a hollow hub fl which is rotated on a hollow stationary .shaft e that is supported in a center-bearing f of a Spider-frame f1 attached to the rng al at the ingoing end ofthe casing. In the hollow hub a are arranged the vanes i of a steamturbine, to which steam 1s supplled by one .or more stationary nozzles n wmghare connected with an annular steam-chamber nl, that is attached by screw-bolts n* to the center-bearing f. 'lhe nozzle or nozzles at are fitted into sockets at the ingong end of the hub, the steam passing through the vanes axially of the turbine to the inner or outl going end of the hub and through exhaustports n into the casing a to be carried along by the air or other fluid set in motion by the blades of the blower, or to be conducted by a hood lz, which is screwed onto the outer circumference of the inner end of the hub d and a suitable discharge-pipe to a condenser. The tubular shaft e is closed at its outer and inner ends by screw-plugs e1 e2, and supplied with lubricating oil from an oil-cup e4 on the bearing f, the oil being conducted through openings o in the bearing f to an interior bushing (Z1 of the hub d, as shown in Fig. 1. The bushing all has a shoulder d2 at its inner end which is fitted into an annular recess of the hub, while a cap o is screwed onto the inner circumference of the inner Vend of the hub and provided with a raised' central steel-bearing c1 which forms contact with the raised center of the inner screw-plug e? so as to take up the thrust of the steam-turbine located in the hub of the blower or ventilator.

Vhen the exhaust-steam from the steamturbine is to be utilized for heating the air forced in by the blades of the blower, a coil g is supported by suitable keepers g1 transversely in position in the easing a, said coil being composed of vertical pipes g2 which are connected at their' upper and lower` ends by arc-shaped pipes g3, as shown in Fig. 2. The central portion of the coil g is connected by horizontal pipes g4 with the vertical pipes g1 and by a short-pipe g5 located at right angles to the plane of the coil g with a stuling-box g on said pipe g5. On said stufling-box rotates a hood l1., the outer circumference of which is screwed to the outer circumference of the inner end of the hub d, so that as the hub rotates by the action of the steam-turbine in the same, the

to a discharge-pipe g" and to a condenser. rIhe air is heated by contact with the heatvin :coil to nearly the temperature of the dischar e-pipe to the condenser,and the l water o 'condensation returned to the boiler. rI`he exhaust-steam may also be emitted from the hood i1, into the casing a and carriedalong by the air or other fluid through the furnace-grate and the glowing fuel on the same, where the exhaust-steam is dissociated and thereby the more complete combustion of the fuel obtained in connection with timel oxygen of the air forced through the The arrangement of the steam-turbine in the hub of the blower or ventilator permits either the condensation of the exhaust-steam when drawn od' to a condenser, or the carrying off of the exhaust-steam with the air to the furnace of the steam-boiler, or the heating up of the air or other Huid by the exhaust-steam and the return of the latter in condensed form to the steam-boiler. By loeating the steam-turbine in the hubl of the blower, the power of the steam is utilized in the most effective manner for rotating the blades, and the power-transmission from a driving-shaft dispensed with, so that the blower or ventilator can be placed at any desired position in proximity to the furnace which is to be operated under forced draft. By reversing the angles of the blades to the hub, the fan can be used as an exhaust- Ventilator or for induced draft in a boiler.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a blower or ventilator, the combina-- lplying steam to said vanes, at one end of the hub, and exhaust-ports at the other end of the hub. A v

2. In a blower or ventilator, the combination, with a casin of a stationary journalbearing supporte centrally in said casing,

a stationary shaft supported in said bearing a hollwhub rotating on said shaft, bladesi located on said hub, vanes located 'inosaid hub, a steam-nozzle or nozzles at the ingoing end of the hub, exhaust-ports at the outgoing end of the-same, and a hood secured to the inner end of the hub for conducting o'f the exhaust-steam.

3. In a blower or ventilator, the combination, with a casing, of a stationary shaft supported centrally in said casing, a hollow hub rotating on said shaft, blades on said hub, vanes located in said hub, a steamnozzle or nozzles at the ingoing end of the hub, exhaust-ports at the outgoing end of the same, and a cap attached to the inner end of the hub for taking up the thrust of the same.

4. In a blower or ventilator, the combination of a rotatably mounted -hub having interior turbine vanes, a nozzle to supply steam to the hub at one end, a ixed outletpipe at the other end of the hub, and a hoodd fixed to said hub and rotating around said outlet-pipe, said hood receiving the steam after its -passage through the turbine-vanes.

5.. In a blower or ventilator,l the combination, with a` casing, Lof a tubular shaft supported centrally in said casing and closed at the ends,;a hollow hub rotating on said shaft, a plurality of blades located on said hub, means for supplying lubricating oil through the tubular shaft tothe inner surface of the hub, a steam-nozzle or nozzles at the ingoing end of the hub, exhaust-ports at the outgoing end of the same, and a thrustbearing for the hub at the inner end of the same.

6. In a blower or ventilator, the combination, with a casing, of a shaft supported at, the center of said casing, a hollow hub on said shaft, a plurality of blades on said hub, a steam-turbine in said hub for rotating the hub and blades, a heating-coil. extending transversely across the casing, and means connecting the exhaust-ports of the steamturbine with said heating coilv for heating the air or other fluid set in motion by the blades.

V7. In a blower or ventilator, the combination, with a casing, of a shaft supported at4 the center of said casing,a hollow hub on said shaft, radial blades extendingI from said hub, a steam-turbine inthe hol ow. hub, a hood extending lover the exhaust-ports of the steam-turbine 1n the hub, a'heating Coil ar ranged transversely across said.cas1ng, and a connecting-.pipe between the hood and 'coil for conducting the exhaust-steam to the coll.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT L.- WOLFSON.

Witnesses: y

` PAUL GOEPEL,

HENRY J. Someren. 

